ssexton Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 My rising junior took the ACT (without the writing portion) for the first time last June. He did very well, and is considering applying to a couple of colleges that require the writing section. Can anyone recommend some resources to help him prepare for that part of the test? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Speed and look of handwriting are super important - the essays are graded VERY quickly. Take a strong stance on either side of the issue. Have some vocabulary in mind, ready to use. You want a few advanced words that you know how to spell and that can be worked into many different topics, and you want some transition words at the ready (both things they scan for). Make peace with the fact that you are not trying to write a good essay, but rather a good ACT essay. I will emphasize again that handwriting is important. My dd has been typing forever, so between the fact that she rarely writes for long and that the writing portion comes last, her hand was physically fatigued and it slowed her down. Before her sister takes it, we are going to add daily copywork back into her school day, both to aid with fatigue and the look of her handwriting. You can look at sample essays and how they are scored here: http://www.actstudent.org/writing/sample/ Most prep books will have a variety of prompts to practice with. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssexton Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 That is very helpful, Katilac! Thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carpe Diem Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 We analyzed the essay examples and then practiced together around the table. It was sort of fun. We were told to be sure to make it 3 pages long and to be sure to pick a side and argue that but to spend one paragraph in counter argument . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicmom Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 In addition to all of the excellent suggestions above, we started by practicing essays from actual ACT prompts, un-timed--and even going back and revising to work in all the elements needed, seeing where it could be improved, etc. Then gradually as dd started to get the hang of it, we added in timing, and lastly stopped revising. It seemed to be effective for dd, who scored well on the test. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssexton Posted August 7, 2015 Author Share Posted August 7, 2015 Thank you for the excellent advice!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Don't forget to check out the new changes to the ACT Essay!! It is supposed to be different starting with the Sept 2015 testing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 This was a while ago but my daughter took a Bravewriter course which covered SAT and ACT essays. It was a good class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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